The Octonauts and the Corpse Party Nightmare
by Crystal Draculura Bloodsucker
Summary: (Sequel to "The Octonauts and The Dark Crystal") A second time pool has come and taken our undersea heroes again, but this time, it has taken them to a Japanese anime world, with a mission to help the trapped students of Kisaragi Academy escape the Heavenly Host Elementary, an old school filled with the souls of tortured students.
1. Prologue

Prologue

 _Sachi is my pride and joy._

 _..._

 _She'd do anything for me._

 _..._

 _I don't think she even recognizes me anymore._

 _..._

 _But I still love her with all my heart._


	2. The Second Time Pool

Chapter 1: The Second Time Pool

The Octonauts were sitting around HQ, doing absolutely nothing. Nothing had happen for the past week, not a single mission, and they were bored out of their minds.

"It's too bad we couldn't find a way to visit Thra." Dashi sighed. "I miss Jen and the others."

Months ago, our undersea heroes became heroes of another planet called Thra. They were taken there by a strange whirlpool known as a time pool. While there, they met two gelflings named Jen and Kira, Kira's pet, Fizzgig, a creature named Augra, and a good hearted skeksis named Skeksil. Together, they were all able to heal the Dark Crystal, save Thra from the rule of Skeksis, and fulfill the prophecy.

That was three months ago, and they were still waiting for another mission in another world.

"I'm sure they miss us too, Dashi." Captain Barnacles sighed. "But, there's nothing we can do. There's no way back into their world except by time pool. And I don't see another time pool coming for us anytime soon."

The Octonauts sighed in despair, missing their alien friends.

Suddenly, a loud alarm went off through the Octopod, accompanied by a flashing red light.

"Captain, we've got action in the sea!" Kwazzi cried. "Red alert! Red alert!"

"What is it, Kwazzi?" Barnacles ran up to the controls.

"Looks to be another time pool sir." Kwazzi explained. "It's coming right for us!"

"And it's a big one too." Shellington breathed. "It's unnatural! A time pool should not be this big, or this violent!"

The Octonauts stared, mouths agaped, as the giant, violently thrashing, tornado-like whirlpool approached the Octopod.

"The windows are breaking!" Tweak shrieked.

It was true. The windows were beginning to crack as sea water entered the Octopod.

"Everybody, brace yourselves!" Barnacles ordered as everybody hugged onto each other.

Suddenly, the dome completely shattered, and the Octonauts were sent away, watery screams coming from their throats as they were pulled into the whirlpool.


	3. Sachiko Ever After

Chapter 2: Sachiko Ever After

Inkling opened his eyes to see a very peculiar sight.

Instead of taking them to Thra, as they expected, the time pool instead dumped them into a dark school, filled with Japanese writing.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared outside, as the rain gently pitter pattered against the windows.

"Well, isn't this an odd sight." Said a voice.

Inkling turned his head toward the voice, as did the other Octonauts when they heard it. What they saw, nearly made them jump out of their skins.

Two Japanese humans, a young woman that could've been a teacher, and a seven year old girl, were standing side by side with each other, staring at the Octonauts with gentle smiles.

"What are they, Ms. Yui?" Asked the little girl. "They're cute."

"I'm not sure, Yuka." The teacher said to the girl. "I've never seen them before. Would you mind stating yourselves and why you are in Kisaragi Academy?"

"Kisaragi Academy, is that where we ended up?" Shellington asked as they all stood up.

"Yes, that is where you are at the moment." Ms Yui nodded.

"Well, we are the Octonauts." Barnacles started. "I am Captain Barnacles. This is Kwazzi, Peso, Shellington, Dashi, Inkling, Tweak, and Tunip. We are undersea workers from a world where animals rule. But as of today, we were sucked into a paranormal whirlpool known as a time pool and brought to your world."

"We were expecting to arrive on another planet to meet up with our friends." Peso explained. "That's what happened last time."

"A time pool you say." Ms Yui thought. "Yes, I've heard of those. Ayumi is always talking about paranormal things and I think time pool was one of them. But, as I recall, a time pool will only go for a victim if there was a mission involved."

"Yes, that's true." Shellington nodded. "But it has brought us to Japan in the human world."

"I'm sure we'll figure out why eventually." Ms Yui giggled. "Right now, I need to get this young Yuka here to her older brother, Satoshi, and check up on my students."

"It's a little late." Dashi frowned as she looked outside. "Why would your students still be here?"

"We had a cultural festival today." Ms Yui explained. "They were helping to clean up. Also, today it's Mayu's last day, so they wanted to say goodbye."

"Oh, understandable." Dashi nodded.

Following Ms Yui and Yuka, the Octonauts followed them to a dark class that was illuminated by a single candle.

Upon closer inspection, they could see seven students surrounding the candle, listening to the blackhead girl speak of a spooky tale about a haunted school.

"It was a rainy evening after school, just like this one." She began. "Running down the stairs, the kindly teacher lost her footing. She tumbled and she fell... And she died."

Two brunette girls that looked like they could be sisters hugged onto each other, shivering with fear and pure satisfaction.

"You've all heard the stories, no?" The girl continued. "Before Kisaragi Academy was built here, there was another school on this property. Heavenly Host Elementary school, it was called."

A young brunette boy leaned closer. The blonde seemed bored as the boy in glasses just smirked in amusement.

"Such a horrible thing to happen... The principle was devastated." The girl sighed. "He cared for the school as if it was his own child, you see. But one thing was led to another, and a decision was made. The school was shut down."

"Is this all completely true?" Peso nervously asked Ms Yui, who nodded.

"The principle was so stricken with grief, that on the day of the school's closure, he climbed onto the roof and threw himself to death... Or so the story goes." The girl smirked. "People thought of Heavenly Host to be cursed. This was only another death of many others. That's why the school was shut down. However, it is said that the teacher who fell still has no idea that she's dead, even to this very day."

Another brunette girl with her hair up gasped and leaned closer.

"And on rainy evenings like this, after school is out, some claim that she roams the halls like the school is hers." The girl gasped. "In fact, it's almost time for her to make her rounds! Just after seven!"

Ms Yui looked to Yuka and the Octonauts and gave them a wink. It was a prank!

"That's when she appears, along with a blackout." The girl continued. "Knock knock, you'll hear through the blackness, along with the creak of a classroom door opening as she sticks her head inside, asking 'is anyone still here?'."

Suddenly, lightning struck outside, distracting the students long enough for Ms Yui to reach into the classroom and flip the light switch off, sending the room into complete darkness.

The brunette boy and the girls all screamed out in fear. The boy looked around fearfully.

"It's a blackout!" He cried.

"Satoshi, come on! Don't scare us like that!" Whimpered one of the brunette sisters

"But it was scary!" Satoshi whined.

"Oh, this is just too precious." Barnacles laughed softly to avoid detection from the students.

"Watch this." Ms Yui giggled.

Slowly and quietly, Ms Yui raised her fist and gently knocked on the door. The students jumped in fear and turned to the door.

"No way!" The blackhead girl shivered. "First the blackout and now the door?"

"Get ahold of yourself, Satoshi!" Screamed the same brunette girl. "And get off me, that's my chest!"

"Ack!" Satoshi cried as he pushed himself off the girl. "Sorry Naomi, I couldn't see where I was grabbing."

"Hey, Satoshi," smirked the blonde. "Aren't you going to answer the door? "

"What?!" Satoshi turned to him. "Are you crazy Yoshiki?!"

"Look, the girls are all trembling in fear." Yoshiki pointed. "Doesn't it just break your heart to see them like that?"

"Then why don't you answer it?" Satoshi challenged.

"Well, it certainly doesn't break MY heart." Yoshiki laughed.

"That's cold man." Satoshi frowned.

Satoshi gulped nervously as he faced the classroom door. Slowly, but hesitantly, he went up to the door and slowly opened it.

Ms. Yui stuck her face into the classroom. Because it was so dark, Satoshi did not recognize her face. He cried out in fear and scrambled away.

"Is anyone still here?" She asked in a ghostly voice. "Go home children."

The students cried out in fear as lightning struck outside again. Ms. Yui stepped into the classroom, turning the light back on while laughing hysterically.

"Way to go, Ms. Yui!" Laughed the blackhead girl while they shared a high five. "Your timing couldn't have been more perfect!"

"Haaan, we've been had!" The girl with the ponytail and the other brunette sister laughed together.

"I was a student here myself not long ago." Ms. Yui laughed. "So when it comes to the secrets of Kisaragi High, I'm pretty well-versed."

Yoshiki laughed as he noticed Satoshi still on the floor.

"Hah, Satoshi." He chuckled.

The girl with the ponytail went over to Satoshi and helped him up.

"I thought Shig's reaction was priceless, but yours topped it, Satoshi!" She giggled.

"Heh... Thanks Mayu." Satoshi blushed madly.

"It was pretty impressive," nodded the boy in glasses. "I could never compete with that."

"Satoshi's always got the best reactions." The blackhead giggled. "I just love it when my scares are so effective. It simply thrilling!"

"Whoever heard of a class rep with such a sadistic streak?" Satoshi frowned.

"I'm sorry Satoshi," Ms. Yui giggled. "But I can't help but say that it simply was amusing."

Satoshi groaned in embarrassment. He was always so easy to scare.

"All pranking aside, though," Ms. Yui continued. "I ran into an adorable little individual who's come to see you."

Satoshi raised his eyebrow in confusion... Until Yuka ran into the room.

"Big brother!" Yuka cried out happily.

"Ah, Yuka!" Satoshi smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"You forgot your umbrella this morning, big brother." Yuka explained. "So I came to give it to you."

"Aw, you're such a sweet little sister." Satoshi smiled gratefully as he took the umbrella.

"Yuka was not the only one I ran into, though." Ms. Yui explained. "We also ran into a peculiar group in the hallway on the way here. Come in you guys."

Hesitantly, the Octonauts entered the room and stood beside Ms. Yui. The students gasped at the sight of them.

"Well, go on," Ms. Yui urged. "Introduce yourselves."

"Uh, hello." Barnacles waved nervously, not remembering himself being so nervous before, but then again, these were humans, the animals natural enemy. "We are the Octonauts. I'm Captain Barnacles. This is Kwazzi, Peso, Shellington, Dashi, Inkling, Tweak, and Tunip."

"They were brought here by a time pool, Ayumi." Ms. Yui said to the blackhead.

"Oh wow, really?!" Ayumi squealed in excitement. "That's so cool, what was it like?"

"Well, it was certainly different than the last one." Peso giggled.

"Mind you, this is not the first time we were taken to another world." Shellington added. "It's actually our second time."

"Whoa, that's so cool." Ayumi smiled. "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Ayumi. This is Satoshi, Yoshiki, Naomi, Seiko, Mayu, and Morishige. You've already met Yuka and Ms. Yui."

"It's very nice to meet you." The Octonauts said together, feeling less nervous.

Ms. Yui smiled, then she noticed Mayu and slowly went over to her.

"Mayu, I know how hard it is to say goodbye." Ms. Yui sighed, the rest of the students sighing as they remembered that they were losing someone today. "But I have a feeling that you're going to do wonderful and successful things at your new school."

"Thanks Ms. Yui." Mayu wiped tears from her eyes. "I'm lucky to have friends like you all."

"We're all going to miss you, Mayu." Morishige sighed. "How about we get everybody in a picture?"

"Oh yes, please." Mayu nodded.

Everybody wanted to be included in the picture. They even pulled the Octonauts into it. It was always great to make new friends.

Morishige pulled out his camera and quickly took the picture of everybody giving bright happy smiles.

"Perfect!" Morishige cried when the film came out.

"Be sure to make copies of that photo and send it to each and every one of us." Naomi smirked.

"Of course," Morishige nodded. "I'll even give a copy to the Octonauts before they leave."

"That's very nice of you, Morishige." Dashi smiled.

"Hey teach!" Ayumi called out. "Before we leave today, can we do something first?"

"Hmm, what is it?" Ms. Yui asked.

"It's a friendship charm that I found on the internet. It's called 'Sachiko Ever After'." Ayumi explained. "Something that'll keep us together forever, or stay as friends I suppose."

"Hmm, I guess it couldn't hurt, is everyone else alright with this?" Ms. Yui asked.

The students all nodded in agreement.

"Perfect!" Ayumi smiled, pulling out a paper doll. "Now everybody, get into a circle around this doll. Come on, come on, don't be shy. You too, Octonauts."

Flattered at being included in their friendship ritual, the Octonauts happily joined the humans around the circle.

"Alright, now everybody grab a piece of the doll and don't let go. Dig your nails into it if you have to." Ayumi nodded as everybody grabbed a piece. "Now we have to say 'Sachiko, we beg of you' for every person in this room. So let's see, there's... One, two... Seven... Nine... Thirteen... Seventeen people in this room. So we have to say it seventeen times."

Everybody nodded and started saying the phrase in their heads. Eventually, they looked up to hear what was next.

"Now, we need to pull onto the doll until we get seventeen pieces." Ayumi explained. "Ready? One, two, three!"

Everybody pulled as hard as they could until the doll started to rip, giving them seventeen pieces.

"Now keep that piece and don't ever lose it." Ayumi smiled. "Stick it in your ID holder if you have to, just don't lose it."

"So the paper has some kind of meaning to it?" Yoshiki asked, earning a nod from Ayumi.

"Yep, as long as we all have a piece of Sachiko with us, we'll always be friends." Ayumi explained.

"Fascinating." Shellington complimented as he stuck his scrap into his notebook.

"Wow, that's pretty cool." Naomi smiled.

"Pretty cool, try super awesome!" Seiko corrected. "I'll have to be really careful not to lose mine."

"Thank you, Ayumi." Mayu sniffed. "I'll treasure this forever."

Ms. Yui sighed and smiled.

"Alright, now that's over, everybody needs to get home." Ms. Yui ordered.

"But we still don't know what we're here for." Tweak frowned. "Usually, something would happen by now."

Suddenly, the world began to shake and the floor started to crack.

"Like that?!" Morishige questioned.

"It's an earthquake!" Satoshi yelled.

"Holy crap! This is like super big!" Yoshiki screamed.

"Everybody, stay calm and get under the desks until it passes!" Ms Yui ordered.

The earth started shaking even more. The school started falling apart and lights started to fall, nearly hitting everybody in the classroom. Everybody screamed as the room shook more violently.

"What's happening?!" Peso screamed.

"Everybody, get under the desks!" Ms. Yui commanded.

Suddenly, the floor opened up underneath their feet, and they were all sent screaming as they fell, the hole swallowing them in darkness.


	4. Heavenly Host Elementary

Chapter 3: Heavenly Host Elementary

Naomi woke up in a strange, dark classroom. She looked around at her surroundings, and noticed Dashi unconscious next to her.

"Ah! Dashi!" She cried in concern, moving to the dog. "Dashi?! Dashi?! Are you alright?! Dashi?!"

Dashi moaned and slowly blinked her eyes open.

"N-Naomi?" She whispered softly.

"Oh! Thank goodness you're alright!" Naomi sighed in relief.

"Ugh!" Dashi moaned as she sat up. "What happened? Where are we?"

"I'm not sure." Naomi answered, looking around. "It looks like we're in school, but the desks are too small."

"Where's everybody else?" Dashi frowned as she looked around.

"That's another thing I don't know. The earthquake must've separated us when we fell." Naomi explained.

"Naomi, look!" Dashi gasped, pointing across the classroom.

Naomi looked to where Dashi was pointing and gasped.

On the other side, blocked by cracks on the floor and desks in the way, Seiko and Tweak laid on the floor, unconscious.

"Ah! Seiko! Tweak!" Naomi called.

"There must be a way to get to them." Dashi frowned.

"Well, we could always go out in the hallway and go around to the other door." Naomi suggested.

"Yeah, that might work." Dashi nodded. "Let's try it."

Naomi nodded and stood up with her. But when she was up, she yelped in pain and nearly fell back down.

"Naomi! Are you alright?!" Dashi asked concerningly.

"There's something wrong with my leg!" Naomi gasped.

"Here, sit down and let me take a look." Dashi offered.

Naomi nodded and sat back down, allowing the dog to take a look at her wounded leg.

"I'm not a doctor like Peso, but I can tell that your leg isn't broken, just twisted." Dashi confirmed. "You'll have to keep off it for a while."

"OK," Naomi nodded.

"Just lean on my shoulder for now." Dashi offered as they stood up. "At least until we find you a crutch or something."

"Right, now let's get over there." Naomi nodded as she leaned on the dog.

Carefully, the two exited the classroom into the hallway, going around to the other door on Seiko and Tweak's side. They entered the classroom successfully without any problems. They knelt down to their friends sides and began shaking them awake.

"Seiko! Tweak! Can you hear us?! Open your eyes!" They called.

The two girls groaned as they awoke, staring blankly at their friends.

"Dashi? Naomi?" They whispered.

"You're awake! Thank god!" Dashi sighed.

"Where are we?" Seiko asked as they both sat up.

"We don't know." Naomi answered.

"This certainly doesn't look like your school." Tweak frowned. "What's going on?"

"That's what we'd like to know." Dashi nodded.

"Well, I don't want to stay here another minute!" Seiko cried, standing up. "I'm getting out of here!"

"Seiko! Wait!" Naomi cried.

"GGGRRRR! GRAAAHHH!" Seiko grunted as she tried to open a window. "It's no use. The windows aren't budging. They're sealed tight."

Seiko sighed and joined the three girls again.

"They're not just tight either." She continued. "It's more like they're just wall decorations."

"You mean like painted on?" Dashi frowned.

"Impossible," Tweak shook her head. "I'm sure they're just rusty. Let me at it. I'm a mechanic, so I might know how to figure this out."

"Well, go ahead, have at it." Seiko shrugged.

Tweak passed Seiko and went to the window. She tried everything she could to open the window, even tried breaking it, but it was no use.

"You're right, Seiko." Tweak nodded. "It's like these windows weren't meant to be opened. And not only that, it's pitch black out there. I can't see a thing."

"What the hell is going on?" Naomi swore.

"Well, this is clearly a school building," Seiko pointed the obvious.

"Don't the desk seem unusually small to you, though?" Naomi frowned.

"She's right." Dashi agreed. "As teenagers, you would never fit in these small desks."

"Yeah, they're more our size than anything else." Tweak added.

"Like... An elementary school." Naomi gasped.

"An... Elementary school?" Seiko gulped.

"It can't be... Can it?" Naomi whispered.

"What it is, girls?" Dashi asked.

Seiko ignored Dashi's question and went to a post on the wall. She gasped at what it said.

"What is it?" Naomi feared to ask.

"The printout on the wall..." Seiko shook. "It says 'Heavenly Host Elementary-Notice to all Faculty and Students'."

"Heavenly Host?" Dashi frowned. "Isn't that the school Ayumi was talking about in her story?"

"That's impossible, it's only a story." Tweak frowned.

"Oh God, what's happening?!" Seiko screamed. "Where are we? And where are the others?! Our friends, Ms. Yui, the other Octonauts?!"

"Seiko, calm down!" Tweak comforted. "We'll figure this out, don't worry."

"Everything's going to be fine, Seiko." Dashi added. "We just need to find the others and get out of here."

Seiko breathed deeply, trying to calm herself.

"Sorry." She managed to say.

"Look, I don't have any idea of what's going on," Naomi sighed. "But I agree with Dashi on this. We just need to find the others and find a way out."

"A way out?" Seiko gulped.

"We can't just stand here quaking in terror, we have to do something." Naomi nodded.

"Is it even possible to leave this place?" Seiko wondered.

"Hey, every building has an entry and an exit, of course there's a way." Teak smiled.

"And besides, with my ankle, I could really use Peso's help now." Naomi chuckled.

"... You're right, and it's a lot better than just standing around." Seiko smiled. "I feel like I'm going to go all looney in here if we keep this up. "

"Okay then. The first step is leaving this room." Naomi nodded.

Everybody else agreed as they followed her outside the classroom. It was dark in the halls, and it looked like the building could collapse on them any minute now, but they didn't let it bother them. As they walked, they took notice of all the notes on the walls, but they didn't bother reading them, they had more important things to do.

Naomi stumbled as she walked on her ankle. The girls offered to help her, but she refused. She needed to be tough if she was going to make it out of this school with the others, once they found them. Eventually, they ran into a dead end by a huge gap in the floor. They had no choice but to go inside the classroom near them to get around it.

When the girls entered the classroom, they screamed. Laying in the far corner of the classroom, was a human skeleton.

"Why is there a dead person in here?!" Seiko cried.

"Hold on, let me get a better look." Naomi offered. "Maybe they're not real."

Stepping lightly, the girls approached the skeleton and Naomi knelt down to get a better look.

"No, these are real alright." Naomi shivered.

Seiko cried and backed away, almost falling into the hole behind her.

"Seiko!" The others cried and grabbed onto her before she could fall.

"You girls..." Whispered a voice.

The girls turned back to the skeleton and gasped when a blue light that looked similar to a will-o wisp appeared above the body.

"You girls are new victims, are you not?" It asked in a male voice.

"A ghost!" Seiko screamed.

"Calm down Seiko." Dashi ordered. "I don't think it wants to hurt us."

"Who are you?" Naomi asked.

"I was brought here against my will... And confined... Just like you." The wisp answered.

"Confined?" Naomi gulped. "Do you mean, there's no way out?"

"I'm afraid not. This school exists in a reality all its own, cut off from the world you know." The wisp explained.

"So why have we been brought here?" Naomi asked.

"And it there's no way out, then what's the purpose of us being here?" Tweak frowned. "Me, Dashi, and the other Octonauts. If our mission isn't to help the humans escape this school, then what is our mission?"

"That my dear rabbit is not something I know." The wisp answered. "But as for the girl's question, 'they' brought you here. They're constantly bringing new victims into this school. More and more, all the time. Sinless innocents, one after another. This is a cursed multidimensional nexus. Multiple planes of existence, all piled on top of one another, created by powerful, vengeful spirits."

Thunder roared outside as the wisp added quietly...

"Closed space... Or perhaps closed spaces."

"Closed spaces?" Dashi frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You, and we as well, are the unlucky victims of an inescapable abduction." The wisp continued. "And it seems you are not the only ones who were brought here. I'm sensing numerous others."

"So.. Our friends are in this school too?" Seiko asked.

"I don't know the exact number." The wisp answered. "But I do know that others were pulled into these spaces at the same time as you... They are definitely in this school."

"On my god, that's such good news!" Seiko cried happily. "Girls, they're here! We're not alone!"

The girls all sighed with relief, happy to hear that their friends have made it.

"That means Satoshi is here too. I bet that makes you feel a lot better, Naomi." Seiko smiled.

"However, you can not meet them." The wisp spoke.

"What do you mean?" Dashi asked.

"They are definitely in this school, but the space they occupy differs from the space we occupy." The wisp explained. "If you wish to see your friends, you must find the means of entering their space, or bringing them into this space. Even then, escape is nigh impossible. But at least you'll be able to die together."

"Oh god... Is there no way out of here then?" Seiko whimpered.

"You said we were brought here by vengeful spirits." Naomi frowned. "Who are they? And why have they taken us?"

"I don't know," the wisp sighed. "Neither the motives of our captors, nor a means of escaping this hell. All I know is that with some effort, you can at least live out your days together in the same space. And that alone is a fate worth fighting for. Two heads are better than one. Your chances and your opportunities are so much greater when working together. Do whatever you can to find a way out of here. Don't... End up... Like us..."

Suddenly the other classroom door opened. The room went dark for a split second and lit up again.

"No!" The wisp cried and disappeared.

The girls looked to the corner of the classroom and screamed. A ghost of a little girl sat curled up to her knees in the corner, her red dress barely covering her thighs. Her black hair covered part of her face, but the girls could see that she was looking at them.

"Run! We have to get out of here, now!" Seiko ordered.

The others agreed and ran out of the classroom as fast as they could. They didn't dare look back behind them in fear of locking eyes with the ghost. When they finally stopped running, they collapsed on the floor, trying to catch their breath.

"Is everybody alright?" Dashi asked.

"Yes, but what was that? A child spirit?" Seiko wondered.

"Honestly, I really don't want to know." Tweak coughed.

"It did kinda glow." Naomi blinked. "I never believed in ghost before."

"Neither has Captain Barnacles." Dashi shook her head. "This is really going to crush his reality. Even worse than the time pool."

"I just don't understand any of this." Naomi sighed. "Except there's no easy way out of this. Like it or not, we're stuck in here."

"It'll be okay." Seiko promised. "Let's just, you know, march on with our heads held up high, or something."

The girls all smiled and nodded. They stood up from the floor, and continued on their adventure.


	5. Elementary School of the Dead

Chapter 4: Elementary School Of The Dead

Naomi, Seiko, Dashi, and Tweak continued through the school. They turned a corner into a hallway and continued down. They were about to turn the next corner, when they realized something horrible about it.

"AAAAHHH!" All four girls screamed when they saw the splattered bloodbath all over the wall and floor.

"Oh my god, what is that?!" Seiko cried.

"It's so horrifying." Naomi shivered.

"It's like somebody was thrown from the other end of the hall." Dashi gulped. "At superhuman speed."

"And just splattered everywhere." Tweak shuddered.

"It smells so meaty." Seiko gagged.

Naomi backed away from the other girls and turned her back, covering her mouth as she gagged.

"Are you okay Naomi?" Dashi comforted the gagging human.

"I'm fine..." Naomi gulped. "Let's just get away from here."

"Agreed." The others nodded.

Abandoning the disgusting sight, the girls continued through the halls. Walking through halls and climbing stairs, they saw many skeletal remains of other students brought to this horrible school.

"Looks like there really has been a lot of people brought here." Naomi sighed.

The other girls sighed sadly in agreement, continuing on their way. As they walked, they checked in the classrooms to see if anybody alive was in there. Some doors were just like the windows, not budging. When they found the restrooms, Seiko giggled.

"Hey, Naomi." She chuckled.

"Hmm?" Naomi hummed.

"Do you have some of that ass medicine on you by any chance?" She asked. "You know, the smeary stuff?"

Blushing by being in the middle of this conversation, Dashi and Tweak slowly backed away from the two human girls, not wanting to get in the middle of this... Personal conversation.

"What again?!" Naomi's eyes widened.

"Yep. My butte's been drier than a desert since we got here." Seiko explained.

"Well, I've got some antibacterial cream if that'll work." Naomi offered hopefully.

"Thank you." Seiko accepted quickly. "I'm gonna go butter up my pooper with it real good. Yay!"

With that, Seiko entered the girls restroom to take care of herself.

"Do you have any shame at all?" Naomi sighed.

"Is she always like this?" Dashi asked when she and Tweak rejoined her, their faces as red as they could be from the embarrassing conversation between the two humans.

"Always, sadly." Naomi sighed.

Suddenly, the three heard a distant cry.

"Big brother!" It sobbed.

"Was that Yuka?" Naomi gasped.

"We better go tell Seiko." Tweak suggested.

Naomi and Dashi agreed and entered the girls restroom.

"Seiko?" They called.

"Hmm?" Seiko hummed back.

"Oh, nothing, just checking on you." Naomi sighed.

Seiko exited the stall she was in and walked towards the girls.

"Thanks for the cream, Naomi." She smiled, handing the tube back.

"No problem, but now we have bigger things to worry about." Naomi blinked. "We heard Yuka's voice. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs."

"Really? Let's go check it out." Seiko suggested.

The others agreed and they left the restrooms. As they were heading downstairs, Naomi stepped wrong and fell, crying in pain.

"Naomi!" The others cried as they caught her.

"Are you okay?" Seiko asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Naomi gasped. "But my leg hurts really bad."

"That's it. Forget Yuka for now, we need to find something to help Naomi." Dashi frowned.

"I agree, she can't go on like this." Tweak nodded.

Seiko and Naomi sighed, but also agreed. It was decided. Before they did any search and rescue, they'd have to deal with Naomi first.

They left and went downstairs. They went through the disgusting hall again, but this time, something happened.

"Aaaahhh!" Seiko screamed. "I think I just stepped in it!"

"Eww, really?" Naomi looked sick. "Here, I've got some tissues you could probably wipe it off with."

"When I stepped in it, it made a disgusting squishy sound!" Seiko paled. "Like I just stepped on a juicy pile of dog poo! No offense, Dashi."

"None taken." Dashi confirmed as she and the other girls gagged.

"Seiko, that's way too much information." Naomi scolded. "You're going to make us puke. "

"Sorry." Seiko apologized as she finished wiping her shoe.

The girls continued forward, checking in all the classrooms just in case. Eventually, they found a key on the ground. It didn't say where it went to, so the girls just tried it on every locked door they could until finally, the key unlocked one of the classroom doors.

Slowly, but surely, the girls entered the classroom, only to find another dead body and a newspaper.

"How disappointing." Tweak sighed.

"Wait, there's a note here." Dashi frowned as she looked at the note that was scratched onto the floor. "What ever you do, don't look at the newspaper."

"We should get out of here." Naomi gulped.

"Aw, but I'm really curious about that newspaper now." Seiko whined. "Can't we just take a little peek?"

"The note said not to." Dashi blinked.

Seiko ignored the dog and picked up the newspaper.

"Seiko!" Dashi shouted as the human started reading aloud.

The article was about child kidnappings and how it ended in murder. Some details of the torture were cut out from the newspaper, but the girls still found it completely awful.

"How awful." Naomi cried.

Suddenly, the classroom door slammed itself shut and locked. The girls panicked and looked back at the newspaper.

"You will never leave this room." It said.

The girls started freaking out, trying to find a way out of the classroom.

"There's no way out!" Seiko cried.

"This is all your fault, Seiko!" Naomi scolded.

"What?" Seiko started to tear.

"Just, nevermind!" Naomi shook her head.

"Hey, knock it off!" Tweak hissed. "It's nobodies fault!"

"We'll find a way out of this, alright!" Dashi frowned.

Suddenly, the classroom door opened again. Confused, the girls left the classroom and stood outside.

"Let's follow what the note says next time." Dashi sighed.

The others agreed, then, Seiko cried.

"Oh no, where is it!" She searched herself frantically.

"What is it Seiko?" Naomi asked.

"I lost the scrap of paper Ayumi gave me." Seiko sniffed.

"The charm?" Naomi tilted her head. "Mine is still in my I.d. holder."

"And ours are in our boots." Dashi and Tweak confirmed.

"I stuck mine in my pocket, it must've fallen out somewhere." Seiko sighed sadly.

"This is why I always tell you to take care of your things before they get lost." Naomi sighed.

"This sucks." Seiko kicked the floor before they continued downstairs.

Eventually, they came to a classroom that had the middle completely cut off. Something on the other side of the classroom caught Dashi's eye.

"Hey, what's that glowing object on the other side of the classroom?" She asked, pointing to the blinking purple light.

"I'm not sure Dashi, let's go find out." Naomi suggested.

Following Naomi, the girls entered the door to the other side of the classroom, but when they looked, they noticed the strange object had hopped over to the other side. Confused, the girls left to catch it on the other side. As they exited, they noticed another will-o wisp in the middle of the hallway.

"Someone else's thoughts echo in your head." It whispered. "If you don't keep a close eye on it that light's going to run away from you. Pay attention to its exact location. Find the exact spot where it once stood, and examine it thoroughly."

Confused by the wisp's exclamation, the girls ignored the wisp and went inside the other end of the classroom. Once again, the object was on the other side.

"When we enter the back, it goes to the front." Naomi frowned.

"Wait, maybe this is what the wisp was talking about." Tweak gasped. "Maybe, if one of us waits on the other side?"

"Worth a shot?" Naomi shrugged.

Exiting the classroom again, they went to the other side. They picked a spot where they thought they saw the object and Seiko waited there. Naomi, Dashi, and Tweak went to the other side and watched as Seiko caught the hopping object.

"Girls, I've got it!" Seiko cried happily.

"Way to go, Seiko!" The others cheered as they left and entered her side.

"Just goes to show what a little teamwork can do." Naomi laughed.

"We make a great team." Seiko smiled.

"Girl power!" Dashi cried excitedly.

"Anyway, the object turned out to be this." Seiko held up a key. "It goes to the infirmary."

"I thought I saw an infirmary back upstairs, near... That... Hallway." Tweak gulped.

The girls shuddered at the memory.

"Well, an infirmary could be really useful right now." Dashi spoke. "It looks like Naomi's ankle is getting worse, and without Peso, at least we could try to do something in the infirmary."

"I agree with Dashi on this, Naomi." Seiko nodded. "We need to do something about that ankle."

"Alright, let's go to the infirmary." Naomi sighed.

Following Tweak, the girls went back upstairs and towards the disgusting hallway. Thankfully, before they entered, Tweak turned to a closed door.

"Here it is." She smiled, taking the key from Seiko and opening the door.

When the door was open, the girls hesitantly entered the room. They only became more confident when they realized there were no dead bodies. They looked around the room and Naomi took notice of the beds.

"Somehow, I expected the beds to be a lot dustier." She smiled.

"They are surprisingly clean." Seiko agreed. "But that's good. Now you can rest your weary bones, Naomi."

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna lay down for a bit." Naomi nodded, climbing into the corner of the bed.

"All tucked away in the corner?" Seiko raised an eyebrow.

"I always preferred nooks and crannies. " Naomi explained. "They make me feel safer."

"I know what you mean, I'm the same way." Seiko laughed. "I wonder if there's anything in here we can use to soothe your ankle. Rest here while the girls and I take a look around."

"Thanks, girls." Naomi smiled.

"Don't thank us yet, we haven't done anything." Seiko laughed.

Seiko, Dashi, and Tweak left Naomi to rest while they looked around for something they could use. With a thorough search, they came back with some medical supplies.

"We found a makeshift splint and some bandages." Dashi smiled.

"That sprain's a goner." Tweak added. "Now just hold still."

"Thanks guys, you're a life saver." Naomi joked.

"There, how does it feel?" Seiko asked.

"It feels great, thanks guys." Naomi cheered.

"Wish we had some ice to put on it though." Seiko sighed, closing her eyes as she laid in the bed next to her best friend.

"Don't worry about it, you've done more than enough." Naomi smiled, then frowned. "She's asleep now, isn't she? I guess that's fair enough."

"I'm glad you agree." Seiko suddenly laughed. "It's slumberland for me!"

"You really are an oddball, you know." Naomi giggled, turning over.

"So hey, Naomi?" Seiko started.

"Hmm?" Naomi hummed.

Dashi and Tweak were also getting ready to have a little snooze of their own, so they ignored the conversation between the two humans.

"When we find Satoshi, have you thought about what you're going to do with him?" Seiko asked.

"Hmm?!" Naomi blinked.

"Well, you know what they say." Seiko smiled. "When two people are face with... Difficult situations, we shall say... It often leads to love. Sweet love!"

"Gosh, I wish Captain was here then." Dashi giggled as she whispered to Tweak, who giggled with her.

"You have to build up your courage and confess your feelings for him." Seiko continued. "If you get all girly with him in this creepy place, your cuteness factor will grow three sizes in his eyes."

Naomi snorted back a laugh.

"I swear, with you around,I almost feel like we're just shooting the breeze back at school." She sighed. "Like nothing ever happened."

Seiko giggled softly, smiling at her best friend.

"Thanks for the advice though, I'll think about it." Naomi smiled.

"I hope we find him soon." Seiko sighed. "But I know what you're thinking. You're thinking you hope you don't. You're thinking about how you wish he doesn't have to be a part of this. You want to see him, but you also want to rest easy knowing he's back at home safe and sound instead of wandering around here. Am I right?"

Naomi sighed and turned away from her, knowing that she was right. Seiko gasped and gulped. Naomi frowned when she turned back.

"And what was that exactly?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, but when I see that ass of yours, I start to drool." Seiko confessed.

"You're so weird." Naomi laughed.

Suddenly, a distant voice cried through the halls.

"Big brother!"

The cry was so chilling, it even woke Dashi and Tweak.

"That was Yuka again!" They and Naomi cried.

"I heard it too." Seiko nodded. "Don't worry, Dashi, Tweak, and I will go out and have a look around."

"I think I should go too." Naomi suggested.

"Negatory, Naomi." Dashi shook her head.

"Your wound is all patched up and feeling better, right?" Tweak nodded. "Don't make it all for nothing."

"We'll be back in a jiffy." Seiko nodded. "Just keep that ass parked on that bed."

With that, the girls left Naomi alone to search for the voice of Yuka.


	6. The First Victim

Chapter 5: The First Victim

Naomi laid on the bed, alone in the infirmary. It's been awhile since Seiko, Dashi, and Tweak went out to look for Yuka. She was getting worried.

Finally unable to stand the wait any longer, Naomi got up from the bed and went to the closed door. Naomi put her hand on the door and tried to open it… but it was locked.

"Why's the door locked?" She wondered.

On closer inspection, Naomi noticed there was no visible bolt keeping the door closed, nor any other evidence that it's been locked at all.

"What?" She cried. "But if it's not locked… then why won't it open?!"

Suddenly, there was the sound of laughing children echoing through the room. Naomi gasped and looked around, trying to find the source of the laughter.

"Are those… children?" She gulped.

Suddenly, another voice spoke. It was the voice of a woman. There was nobody else in the room with Naomi, and she was starting to freak out.

"Let's all go on a field trip together over summer vacation." Suggested the voice.

"Who… What?" Naomi gulped, searching around the room frantically.

Suddenly, Naomi's ear started to ring. She cringed as she put her hand over her ear.

"My head hurts so bad." She whimpered. "I can't stop this ringing in my ear."

The laughter of children echoed again and Naomi looked over to the door. She gulped at what she saw.

The door was latticed with countless strands of black hair, rooting it in place. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker, then they went out completely. Through the blackness, there was another sound.

"Is… is someone there?" Naomi gulped.

The sound continued through the room. It sounded like a ball-point pen scribbling away on a sheet of paper. Slowly, Naomi turned to the desk that was in the room. She slowly approached the desk, but she saw nothing.

"Sachi." Replied the voice again. "Have you come to find me?"

Suddenly, a black spirit appeared in front of Naomi. Naomi gasped and screamed, running around the room as the spirit chased her. As Naomi ran, the floor opened up with more holes. Naomi ran to the door, trying to pry it open, but it wouldn't budge. Naomi tried to burn the hair off the door using the matches she had in her pocket, but the hair wouldn't light. Naomi looked over to the medicine cabinet. Inside there would be bottles of alcohol. She could use that to drench the hair and then the hair would light.

Avoiding the black spirit, Naomi ran to the medicine cabinet, grabbed the alcohol, and ran back to the door. After hastily splashing alcohol all along the edges of the door, Naomi lit a match in an attempt to burn through the seemingly endless strands of hair.

With a sizable whoosh and a waft of foul-smelling heat, the hair lit up, then hardened and fell away, freeing the door and allowing it to open. Naomi threw the door open and ran outside, slamming the door behind her in an attempt to lock the black spirit inside.

Naomi backed away from the door as the spirit continued to bang on it.

"I'm going to kill you." It said from inside.

Naomi screamed and ran away to the end of the hall, where she collapsed and vomited. Suddenly, Seiko, Tweak, and Dashi came down the hall to see the mess.

"Naomi!" Seiko cried upon seeing her best friend in these conditions.

"What happened?" Tweak asked.

"Are you alright?" Dashi added.

Naomi looked up at the girls as they approached.

"Seiko, Tweak, Dashi?" She coughed. "Sorry for the mess."

"What are you talking about? Don't apologize for barfing." Seiko insisted. "You poor girl."

Naomi doubled over and vomited again.

"Everything's ok. You'll feel better now that you got it all out of your system." Dashi comforted.

"Do you need us to rub your back?" Tweak offered.

"... I think I'll be fine." Naomi answered. "Thanks though. Did you guys find Yuka?"

"No." Seiko sighed.

"Looks like we really are the only ones here." Tweak shook her head.

"The only ones living anyway." Dashi sighed.

Naomi sighed before everything went quiet. Seiko perked up.

"What about you Naomi?" She asked. "Is your leg any better? Are you OK to be up and about?"

"That's the thing." Naomi began. "While I was resting, I was attacked by this creepy black spirit thing."

"What?!" Dashi gasped.

"Oh my god, are you alright?!" Seiko asked with concern.

"I think so." Naomi nodded. "But I think we should consider that room off limits from here on out."

"That's fine. We're just glad you're ok." Tweak sighed.

"But now that it's not safe in the infirmary, and Naomi is still not better and was just attacked, now we really need Peso's help." Dashi frowned.

"I guess we better get moving then." Seiko nodded. "Can you stand, Naomi?"

"Yeah." Naomi nodded as she stood up. "But where are we supposed to go?"

The girls hummed in thought. Naomi growled in frustration.

"We've been to pretty much everywhere in this godforsaken school!" She growled. "And the only people we've come across are all dead!"

The others sighed as they realized she was right.

"It's hopeless! We're finished!" Naomi continued. "And I'm so tired."

"Naomi, come on. It's not that bad." Seiko tried to brighten things up. "We'll figure something out."

Naomi stayed silent as Seiko tried her best to brighten things up, talking about plans they could do tomorrow when they got out.

"Naomi, are you like super-duper tired or something?" Seiko asked when she's realized her friend's silence. "This is so not like you."

"Come on, raise that chin!" Tweak assured. "The only thing we need to fear is fear itself."

"What the hell's got you so chipper, Seiko?!" Naomi suddenly burst.

Seiko blinked in confusion as Tweak and Dashi watched in shock.

"You just keep smiling and laughing." Naomi continued.

"I do?" Seiko raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me, how long is it going to last if it turns out we can never go back home?!" Naomi growled. "Have you given that any thought at all?! 'We'll figure something out'. That's a crock and you know it."

"Naomi..." Dashi tried to calm the human down.

"And you two!" Naomi glared at the girl Octonauts. "You said that you and the other Octonauts were brought here for a mission. Well, what mission?! So far, nothing has happened that tells us what it is you're supposed to be doing here. Maybe you guys are just nuisances to us humans. No wonder why we hunt you."

Dashi and Tweak stood there in silence, not knowing what to say to something like that.

"Our families will surely be worried." Naomi continued to rant and rave. "They'll search for us. They'll search and search and search. It'll be a terrible burden for them."

Seiko frowned and approached her ranting friend.

"You're wrong." She protested.

"How so?" Naomi challenged.

"About it being a burden." Seiko added. "When you lose a loved one, you cherish their memories. It's never a burden."

"Seiko's right, Naomi." Dashi nodded.

"You just want to do whatever you can." Tweak continued. "Whatever you can to make her proud. You just want to, so you do."

Naomi sighed and she looked at the ground. Of course she should know this, as Seiko's mother just passed away a few months ago.

"That's how I think the people we leave are going to feel." Seiko continued.

"I don't know how it is for your families, but normal people just don't work that way!" Naomi protested.

"Naomi..." The other girls gasped.

"... I'm sorry." Naomi sighed. "How about we just split up? We'll cover more ground. And maybe we'll find a clue on how to get out of here."

The girls were silent until Seiko cried.

"Who says things like that?!" She shouted. "I want to get home just as much as you do! Back to my dad, and Yuu, and everybody else. And I sure as hell don't want to make them worry. And I'm sure Dashi and Tweak feel the same way."

"Girls, calm down!" Dashi frowned. "This school is getting to you."

"But most of all..." Seiko continued, ignoring the dog's warning. "I don't want you, out of all people, to speak to me that way."

Naomi gulped and opened her mouth to say something. Seiko, Tweak, and Dashi leaned in to hear what she was trying to say, but she just couldn't get the words out.

"I'm sorry too." Seiko sighed. "But it's OK. If that's what you think we should do, then let's split up."

"But there's no way we're leaving Naomi alone." Tweak shook her head. "Not after what just happened."

"Alright then," Seiko nodded. "You two stay with Naomi then. I'll go this way."

With that, Seiko went down the hall, leaving the other girls behind.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Naomi said to herself. "I couldn't even say I'm sorry."

"Come on." Tweak sighed. "We better go find Seiko."

"Yeah, I don't like her being all alone out in those halls." Dashi agreed. "Who knows what could happen?"

"Yeah," Naomi nodded. "Yeah, you're right. We better go find her. Then maybe I can apologize properly."

The girls all nodded, then started down through the halls to find Seiko. They ran and ran, frantically looking for her. They kept calling her name over and over again. Eventually, they found themselves standing in the third floor hallway.

"Seiko?! Seiko!" Naomi cried.

"Where could she be?" Dashi wondered.

Naomi suddenly dropped to the floor, sobbing for her best friend.

"Don't worry Naomi." Tweak comforted her. "We'll find her."

"Yeah, she can't get away from us that easily." Dashi joked.

Suddenly, the three of them heard a loud banging sound at the end of the hallway, like something heavy banging against wood.

"Seiko? Is that you?" Naomi asked.

Another banging sound helped Tweak figure out where it was coming from.

"It's coming from the girls bathroom." She answered.

Hesitantly, the girls slowly approached the girls bathroom. When they went inside, they noticed that the banging was coming from one of the stalls.

Slowly, but surely, they approached the stall, and quickly swung the door open. What they saw made them give off such a shrilling scream, you would think it would damage their vocal chords.

Inside the stall was Seiko, but she was hanging in the air, with a noose tightly tied around her neck. She was choking to death.

"Don't worry Seiko!" Dashi cried. "We're gonna get you down!"

The girls all approached the strangling Japanese girl. They tried to get her down, but they only managed to choke her even more.

"Sorry, sorry!" Naomi was quick to apologize.

The noose around Seiko's neck is attached directly to the ceiling, and there's nothing at her feet. All attempts to help her are only strangling her further.

"Oh my god, what do we do?!" Naomi screamed.

"Hey!" Dashi suddenly cried. "I remember seeing a bucket outside in the hall, maybe we can use that for her to stand on!"

"Good idea Dashi, let's go get it." Tweak nodded.

Naomi agreed and the three of them ran out to the hall to grab the bucket Dashi had seen.

Inside the bucket was an unidentifiable kind of meat, and it was crawling with maggots. Naomi picked up the bucket, trying not to puke.

"It's revolting." She admitted. "But at least it will save Seiko."

With a disgusting splash, Naomi dumped the contents out of the bucket onto the floor. Once it was empty, the girls ran back into the restroom to save Seiko.

"Seiko, we're back." Naomi called. "And we got something that will help."

But, when they reached the stall, they stopped and stared in horror. Naomi dropped the bucket and the three of them screamed once more.

With blank eyes, Seiko swung back and forth slowly in her noose. All life had been drained completely from her face.

The girls screamed and cried at the lost of their friend, but no one was more upset than Naomi.

"Why?! Why would you hang yourself?!" She screamed. "You were smiling and laughing just awhile ago! Didn't you say we'd find a way out of here together?!"

The girls continued to cry, crying out Seiko's name.

"I want to apologize, for everything I said." Naomi cried. "I just, can't believe that this is real. I refuse to accept it!"

Tweak sniffed and looked up, staring at Seiko's lifeless body.

"Well, now we know what our mission is." She gulped.

Dashi and Naomi sniffed and looked up, waiting for the rabbit to continue. Tweak gulped before speaking.

"Find a way to get everyone out of here... Alive."


	7. Not As It Seems

Chapter 6: Not As It Seems

Somewhere else in the school, in another closed space, Ms. Yui stood outside of a classroom, looking around.

Ayumi, Yoshiki, Barnacles, Kwazii, and Peso were waiting inside the classroom, waiting for their teacher to come back in with some news.

Suddenly, Ms. Yui gasped when she heard three voices echo through the school.

"Huh? Was that Naomi, Dashi, and Tweak?" She wondered. "Sounded like they were screaming."

Ms. Yui looked down the hall towards the voices, shaking her head.

"What do I do?" She gasped. "I can't let anything happen to my students... Or the Octonauts."

With that said, Ms. Yui entered the classroom, only to be greeted with the sight of Ayumi on the floor and the boys trying to stop her from hyperventilating.

"Ayumi, it's alright." Ms. Yui comforted. "Everything is going to be fine."

"But you heard it too, didn't you?" Ayumi gasped. "The voices."

"I did." Ms. Yui nodded. "Though it was probably not a real voice. Probably just the building settling. I'll go check it out anyway though, ok."

With that, she stood up, looking at them.

"You guys stay here. Alright." She nodded.

"Wait, Ms. Yui!" Ayumi cried. "Don't leave us, please!"

"Ayumi..." Ms. Yui sighed.

"Don't worry teach," Yoshiki smiled. "The Octonauts and I will keep a good eye on her."

"Yes, Ms. Yui, don't worry." Peso nodded.

"Aye, you can count on us, matey." Kwazii promised.

"In fact, as a leader, why don't you all stay here and I'll go take a look around?" Barnacles offered. "I need to find the rest of my team anyway."

"Not a chance." Ms. Yui denied firmly. "My first concern is your safety. I'll go take a look around, you stay here."

"Alright." The boys nodded while Ayumi screamed.

With that, Ms. Yui left the classroom in search of her students and the other Octonauts. She looked around the school, trying to find anyone that was alive. She even found a key on the staircase that went to classroom 3-A.

"Hmm, now where would that be?" She wondered as she looked at the key.

She continued searching, not only looking for her students and Octonauts now, but also the classroom to which the key goes to. Eventually, she found 3-A. She stuck the key in the lock and it opened with a breeze. She went inside, only to find... Nothing.

"Well, that was a waste of time." She huffed as she looked around. "Guess I better keep looking."

She was about to leave the classroom, when all of a sudden, something knocked her back. She landed on the floor with a hard thump. She looked up, and in front of her, was a will-o wisp.

"Well, if it isn't the teacher." It sneered. "Are you all by yourself? Decided to stop shaking and shivering with the other five back in 1-A, didn't you?"

"I'll have you know I heard three of my other students screaming, and I've set out to find them." Ms. Yui persisted angrily.

"I see... Regrettably," The wisp whispered. "That won't be possible. You see, this is a nexus of multiple dimensions overlapping. Just a single closed space in a sea of spaces. In other words, even though you are in the same school as your screaming students, you and they occupy different dimensions. Which means you can never meet. If one of you should die, perhaps your body, or your spirit, may move from one space to another... Or... Maybe you can find some means of traversing the planes freely, as 'they' do."

Ms. Yui gasped at this. Could what the will-o wisp be saying is true?

"Consider this a fair warning." It continued. "Even if you find the exact spot from which your students screams emanated, they themselves may not be there. And if they're not, then there's not a thing you can do."

"But, I heard their voices!" Ms. Yui persisted.

"It is true other children have been brought here quite recently." The wisp admitted. "Children who in appearances are indeed your students. But as I suggested, time and space does not behave as you would expect here. They're... Fragmented. You say you heard screams. Those screams could've taken place a few minutes ago... Or, perhaps have taken place in another space many hours previous. They could've even been echoes of the future. With this phenomenon as it is, it's possible for two closed spaces to have some sort of small influences of each other, even when out of synch."

"It doesn't matter." Ms. Yui hissed as she stood up. "I can't just ignore those agonizing screams and go on my merry little way. Step aside!"

With that, Ms. Yui passed the blue wisp and left it floating there before it completely disappeared. When she was about to exit the classroom again, she was once again knocked back.

The room shook as if another earthquake was happening, and the shelf next to her completely fell on top of her, crushing her to the floor. At that moment, the same will-o wisp appeared in front of her, but it had turned red with anger.

"Step aside?!" It shouted. "Why don't you fuck off you damned corporeal!"

Ms. Yui gasped and coughed as the shelf continued to crush her, a seemingly invisible force pushing it down on top of her.

"In all the world, the most vile, untrustworthy individuals of them all are you schoolteachers!" The wisp hissed. "All you care about is your own well-being! You're not worried for your students. You're just worried about being held responsible if something should happen to them!"

"Ugh... This really... Really hurts." Ms. Yui coughed, sputtering blood on the floor.

"You're all the same. Every last one of you! And I won't be taken in by your lies anymore!" The wisp continued. "When you see a problem amongst your kids, you just keep your distance. Because you sure as hell don't want to get involved! Gotta keep appearances, right! You just pick out the 'problem children' and just chip at them little by little until they either drop out or get expelled! You're not disciplining them, you're just raging at them!"

"That's not..." Ms. Yui started, but the angered wisp cut her off.

"I've never met a teacher who actually cared about their students. Not once!" It cried.

"You're wrong." Ms. Yui coughed.

"All of your students are destined to starve to death in these godforsaken halls." It continued. "If they don't fall into depression and kill themselves first!"

The will-o wisp laughed manically before continuing.

"There's no other possible outcome! They'll all die from meaningless deaths! Just like I did!" It laughed. "And they sure won't be thinking of YOU when they take their final breaths."

Ms. Yui cried and coughed as the shelf pressed on her farther. The wisp floated closer to her, it's red flame warming her face.

"Any last words, bitch?" It asked. "I'll tell them to your students before I end their miserable lives."

"... Spare... M..." Ms. Yui tried to say.

"What was that?" The wisp laughed.

"Spare... My... Students." Ms. Yui coughed. "Please, I don't care what happens to me. Just spare their lives!"

"They're not your children. You're not their mother." The wisp hissed. "Are you still pretending to care about them? Filthy liar. Did you know that when you die in this accursed place you feel the pain of death for all eternity? Ask me to spare YOUR life. It's what you really want, isn't it? Just ask me, and I may consider it."

"Don't you harm a hair on their heads, you hear me!" Ms. Yui shouted, still defending her students.

"... You really are a stubborn little bitch." The wisp hissed before finally crushing the poor teacher into unconsciousness, her own blood pooling around her.

Meanwhile, back in the classroom with Ayumi, Yoshiki, Barnacles, Kwazii, and Peso, Ayumi was starting to get worried about her teacher. Suddenly, the building shook as another earthquake took place.

"Oh no, not another one!" Peso shouted.

"Hold close everybody!" Barnacles ordered as they all huddled together.

When the earthquake finally stopped, they all stood up straight. Suddenly, Ayumi broke away and headed straight for the classroom door.

"Ayumi, where are you going?" Barnacles asked.

"I've just got a really bad feeling." Ayumi sniffed. "We have to go out and find Ms. Yui."

"But, what if Ms. Yui comes back while we're gone and we miss each other along the way?" Yoshiki asked.

"We're going!" Ayumi demanded, startling the boys.

"Alright already!" Yoshiki sighed. "But if we don't have any luck finding her, let's just promise to come right back here."

"I agree." Barnacles nodded.

"I second that." Peso agreed.

"Aye, matey." Kwazii nodded. "Right now, it seems this classroom is the safest place in the school."

"And we don't even know what's out there." Barnacles nodded, looking out into the halls. "Let alone know where we are, or where the others are."

"Alright," Ayumi sniffed.

"How about we leave her a note?" Yoshiki suggested. "Ayumi, do you have anything I can write with?"

"I have a pen." Ayumi offered.

"But no paper. Hmm," Yoshiki thought. "Well, there's always the teacher's desk."

With that, the five of them approached the teacher's desk and Yoshiki wrote the note.

"Ms. Yui, gone out to find you. If we should miss each other along the way, please wait here. We'll be back."

"How's that?" Yoshiki asked.

"It's blunt and sloppy." Ayumi criticized.

"It's you're fault we gotta leave her a note in the first place." Yoshiki frowned.

"Alright then. Octonauts, humans, let's do this." Barnacles nodded as they left the classroom.

As they walked around, trying to find their teacher, they were on their way to classroom 3-A, but it was blocked with the floor collapsed.

"Dead end." Yoshiki sighed. "Guess we better go back."

With that, they left, unknowing of their teacher being crushed to death on the other side.

They kept walking around, trying to find their missing teacher, calling her name and everything. Eventually, they walked into a classroom.

It was empty, but there was a post on the wall. Peso approached the post and gasped.

"What is it Peso?" Barnacles asked.

"The post on the wall..." Peso shivered. "It says Heavenly Host on it."

"Heavenly Host!" They all gasped.

"Ayumi, isn't that the cursed school you were talking about?" Barnacles asked. "Not that I believe it, but still, it seems kinda suspicious."

"Yes, it is." Ayumi nodded before shivering. "It's cold in here."

"Not to mention dark and scarey." Yoshiki agreed. "Hey, Ayumi. Do you still have those candles on you? The ones you used in the classroom?"

"Yeah, why?" She wondered.

"Do you want to light one of those and take a breather?" Yoshiki suggested. "They give off some heat, don't they?"

"Sure." Ayumi smiled.

With that, she pulled out a candle and placed it on the floor. She took out some matches and lit it, the flame warming up the room. The five of them gathered around the candle, warming themselves up.

"This candle of mine really is kinda warm." Ayumi agreed.

"Yeah, it is." The boys nodded.

After they were done warming themselves, they set back out to find their friends. They walked around, calling out their friends names. Eventually, they crossed through a hall, and they all screamed at what they saw.

Bones. Human bones.

"These are... Human bones!" Yoshiki cried.

"Oh god no!" Ayumi shrieked, collapsing on the floor.

"Hold on!" Barnacles shouted. "Everybody just calm down, alright. Maybe they're not real. You know, like a prop or something."

Peso approached the skeletons and examined them. He gasped and backed away.

"That would be a negative, Captain." He shook. "These are real skeletons."

Captain Barnacles took in a shaky breath, trying to calm himself. He was a leader, he needed to stay strong.

Ayumi covered her mouth and coughed. Peso approached her immediately.

"Are you alright, Ayumi?" He asked, feeling her forehead.

"I'll be... Fine." She nodded. "Let's keep looking."

And so, they left the skeletal remains behind, still trying to find their friends. Eventually, they entered another classroom, but there was something off about it. It was smaller, like only half of the actual normal classroom.

"What the hell kind of classroom is this?" Yoshiki cursed. "It's nothing like I've ever seen!"

Ayumi went to the corner and collapsed, holding her head.

"Ayumi! Are you alright?" Yoshiki asked.

"My head... Is splitting." She cried.

"Here, take these." Peso offered, reaching into his medical bag and handing her two pain pills.

Ayumi took the pills and swallowed them both dry.

"Thanks Peso." She smiled. "I'm feeling a bit better now. But we really shouldn't be in here. I've got a bad feeling."

"Aye, but it looks like there's something in the back." Kwazii protested. "I think we should check it out."

"I don't think so Kwazii." Barnacles shook his head. "I admit, even I'm getting a bad feeling about this room. We should listen to Ayumi, and leave as quick as possible."

But Kwazii was not listening, as usual. He ignored his captain and went to the back.

"Kwazii!" Barnacles growled, until he heard him scream. "KWAZII!"

Concerned, the other four ran right to Kwazii's aid. They found him standing on a type of wooden bridge, a wide eyed frightened expression on his face.

"Kwazii, what is it?" Barnacles tried to get him to talk.

Kwazii said nothing. Instead, he pointed straight ahead. They looked up to what he was pointing at, and stood there frozen.

In front of them, was the ghost of a little boy, blood dripping from his mouth as he sat in the corner with his knees up to his chin.

"Please tell me I'm dreaming." Barnacles shivered.

"Not in your life, Captain." Peso shook his head.

"Whatever you do, don't look into his eyes!" Ayumi instructed.

"Right!" The others agreed as they bolted out of the classroom, avoiding the boy's eyes.

When they felt they were a safe distance away from the classroom, they stopped to catch their breath.

"Was that... What I think it was?" Barnacles gasped.

"If you mean a ghost, then yes, I think it was." Yoshiki nodded.

"But that's impossible!" Barnacles shouted. "Ghosts aren't real!"

"Then explain to me what that was in there, captain!" Kwazii hissed.

"I... I don't know! A trick of the light?" Barnacles argued.

"What light, captain!" Now even Peso was getting angry. "There's not a single light on in this godforsaken place! Not one! That was no trick of some imaginary light, and you know it!"

Barnacles was shocked into silence. He couldn't believe what was happening. Now, even his own team was getting angry at him.

"I'm... Sorry." He sighed. "It's just... I've... Never really... Believed in this stuff."

Kwazii and Peso looked at each other, guilt written on their faces.

"We're sorry too." Peso sighed. "It's just that, usually you wouldn't make something up like that."

"Aye, that's usually my job." Kwazii nodded, making the others laugh.

"But we get why you did it." Peso smiled. "It was to protect your reality, right?"

"Right." Barnacles nodded. "I've never believed in this stuff. But I guess with the time pool and the Dark Crystal, I should start believing, shouldn't I?"

"Of course not." Peso laughed. "The Dark Crystal had nothing to do with ghosts. Extraterrestrial creatures, yes. Ghosts, no."

"Right." Barnacles laughed.

"Well, I'm glad we're all calmed down now." Yoshiki nodded. "So let's continue looking for our friends."

"Right." The others nodded.

And so, they continued walking, still in search of the others. They were walking down the hall filled with skeletons when suddenly, Ayumi stopped in her tracks.

"Ayumi, are you alright?" Yoshiki asked her.

Ayumi said nothing. Instead, she made a horrible groaning sound deep in her throat, startling the boys.

"AYUMI!" They shouted as she ran past them into another room.

"After her! She could be in trouble!" Barnacles ordered.

The others nodded and ran after the Japanese girl. They entered the room she went in, and found her standing in the corner, her face turned to the wall.

"Ayumi... Are you alright, matey?" Kwazii asked.

"Guys..." Peso gasped as he took a closer look at their friend. "Her eyes are completely white!"

Suddenly, before any of them could react, Ayumi bursted out in fits of rage and strange sentences.

"NO ONE IS SAYING THAT!" She shouted, but she wasn't done yet. "Today is my daughter's birthday. She's turning seven. We're going out together to celebrate. ... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! THAT'S DISGUSTING! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! ... WHY ARE YOU BOTH LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?!"

Afterwards, Ayumi dropped right on the spot, with a Japanese boy and three animals staring at her in horror.

Suddenly, she stood back up and looked at them.

"Hmm? Guys?" She frowned. "What's wrong?"

"You were saying some pretty weird stuff just now." Yoshiki answered truthfully.

"What?" Ayumi frowned further.

"Never mind, it was probably just the school getting to you." Peso shook his head. "You know, like going into shock of all the pressure."

"Maybe." Ayumi agreed.

"Well, enough about that, look where we are." Kwazii smiled.

The others looked around and gasped. They were in the entranceway!

"Yes!" Yoshiki cried. "Now we can get out."

With that, Yoshiki went up to the door and pulled on it, but it wouldn't even budge.

"Should've known it wouldn't be that easy." He sighed.

As they left the entranceway, they gasped at what was in front of them. The ghost from the classroom.

"Shit, it's that ghost again!" Yoshiki cried.

"Don't let it touch you!" Ayumi instructed.

And so, they ran, with the ghost boy chasing after them. They ran as fast as they could, and eventually escaped from the ghost. They looked around and noticed that they were back by their classroom.

"Let's go inside." Peso suggested. "Maybe Ms. Yui is back now."

The others nodded and went inside the classroom. They were disappointed to see that their teacher was not back yet, the note left for her untouched and unread.

"Guess she's not back yet." Ayumi sighed.

"Can't believe she's still out looking for Naomi." Yoshiki sighed.

They all sighed as they left the classroom to try and search again. They continued walking through the school, occasionally having to run if they ran into the ghost boy again. Eventually, Ayumi stopped, kneeling to the ground.

"What's wrong, Ayumi?" Yoshiki asked. "Need to stop for awhile?"

"Hmm? No," She shook her head. "I just thought that this would be a good spot to place another candle. No objections I assume?"

"Go ahead." Barnacles nodded.

And so, Ayumi brought out another candle and lit it. They gathered around the fire, warming themselves up a bit more before setting off again. They continued walking, eventually finding themselves on the third floor. They were near the restrooms when Ayumi stopped.

Fearing that she would flip out again, the boys stayed near her, ready for anything. But instead, she looked at the girls restroom and ran inside, the boys following her, still keeping an eye on her.

When they went into the restroom, they noticed something odd on the floor.

"What is this?!" Ayumi cried as she approached it.

"Looks like it's been stained." Yoshiki frowned. "But with what?"

"It almost looks like a person." Peso shivered.

"Somebody died here. I can hear her voice." Ayumi gasped. "No! No please, don't!"

"Ayumi, snap out of it!" Barnacles hastily tried to get her to calm down, but with no such luck as she screamed.

Suddenly, the stall door in front of the stain opened all by itself, startling the boys. Ayumi collapsed on the floor, grabbing her hair and gasping for breath.

"SSSEEEEEEEIIIIIIKOOOOOOOOOOOO! NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed at the top of her lungs before bolting out into the hallway.

"AYUMI!" The boys cried, running after her, once again.

When they found her, she was standing, facing the wall once again. Slowly, they approached her.

"Are you alright, Ayumi?" Yoshiki asked.

Ayumi said nothing and groaned again. The boys backed away from her in fear, knowing where this was going.

"Bring me more! You'll do whatever I ask of you!" She demanded. "I don't care if you're innocent, you're listed as 'buried-alive' aren't you?! ... They're mine! I'm sure as hell not sharing with the likes of you! ... Clean up is a real pain in the ass too, you know. Have some pity!"

Yoshiki and the Octonauts stared in horror. Their friend was being possessed, they could tell, but they had no idea of what to do.

"I believed in you!" She continued. "Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?!"

Suddenly, she started to laugh manically, frightening her friends even more.

"What do we do?" Kwazii gulped.

"She's being possessed!" Barnacles pulled at his ears.

"Flappity Flippers, this is too intense!" Peso screamed.

"I wish we had some guidance." Yoshiki added.

Suddenly, a red will-o wisp appeared in front of them as if granting Yoshiki's wish.

"That poor girl." It said. "She's lost her mind, and she'll never get it back. Possession is a frightful thing. To have your thoughts pushed deep into your soul and have someone else's take their place."

With that, the wisp disappeared, leaving the boys even more frightened and confused.

"Well thanks for that, whoever you are." Barnacles growled.

"There must be someway to save her." Peso begged.

"Why the hell are you doing this?!" Ayumi screamed angrily. "Answer me!"

"There's only one thing I can come up with." Yoshiki shook his head.

"Whatever it is, do it!" Kwazii demanded. "Get our friend back!"

Yoshiki nodded and approached Ayumi. When he was close enough, he grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

"Come back to us, Ayumi." He begged. "We're going to find the others and get out of here. There's no reason at all for you to stay like this."

Ayumi stopped and stood there frozen.

"So... Warm." She sighed.

Suddenly, she gasped and looked around. She saw Yoshiki hugging her, and she hugged back.


	8. The Second Victim

Chapter 7: The Second Victim

"So... What you're saying..." Yoshiki whispered as the five of them sat outside of the restrooms.

"Yeah. So far, all the corpses we've found in here have all been people we've met before." Ayumi sighed. "But that stain was left behind by someone really close to us. Someone who was completely filled with the pain and agony of death. And the next thing I knew, I was in your arms."

"But who left that stain?" Kwazii frowned.

"Someone really close to us." Yoshiki sighed. "I really hope that just this once, your intuitions are wrong."

"But I could feel all her pain." Ayumi insisted. "I was freezing cold, but my throat was so hot it felt like it was on fire. And then I voided my bowels and everything went dark. No matter how hard I struggled, my arms and legs just wouldn't move."

"Sounds like what you experienced, was someone..." Barnacles gulped. "Dare I say it, they hung themselves."

The others gasped at this. It made perfect sense.

"I wanted to yell out 'Help me' but I had no voice." Ayumi cried. "I was scared, and the pain was so excruciating."

"Calm down, Ayumi." Peso comforted her. "That wasn't you. You're still alive."

"You're right." Ayumi sniffed as the five of them stood back up.

"Well, we've searched the whole building." Yoshiki sighed. "Ms. Yui really is nowhere to be found."

"Maybe we should head back to the classroom?" Ayumi suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea." Barnacles nodded.

And so, they stood up and began walking back to the classroom. As they approached the infirmary, they gasped at what they saw.

It was a ghost, but this time, it was a girl. They watched as she entered the infirmary. They listened, and could make out the sound of laughing. One of the laughs sounded... Quite familiar.

Together, they all entered the infirmary, and gasped at what they saw.

It was Mayu! She was sitting on the floor, talking to the ghost girl, and another ghost girl with no head.

"That right, it's the same for me." Mayu laughed. "I love my school."

"Mayu! Get away!" Ayumi cried to her friend.

"You need to run, quickly!" Yoshiki added.

"Don't trust those ghosts, Mayu!" The Octonauts shouted.

"And my homeroom teacher's the best." Mayu continued. "But I guess you feel the same way about yours, huh?"

The ghosts laughed as they listened to their victim.

"Mayu! Snap out of it, will ya!" Yoshiki screamed.

"Mayu, it's us, ok." Ayumi begged.

"Ayumi, Yoshiki, Captain Barnacles, Kwazii, Peso?" Mayu sobbed as she finally noticed her friends.

"Can you stand?" Peso asked hopefully. "Come on, we're right here."

"No, I'm OK. Believe it or not, these aren't really bad kids." Mayu explained. "They've just been through some really horrible experiences. Here, read this and you'll see what I mean."

With that, Mayu brought out a newspaper and gave it to her friends. They took it and read it together.

"[Heavenly Post] Four Children Abducted - follow up report. The brutal, shocking deaths of the recent kidnapped grade-schoolers have now been traced back to the hands of the instructor that was found in the room with them. The scissors he held are confirmed to have been used to cut out the victims tongues, ultimately leading to death through excessive bleeding or choking. One of the victims even had the majority of her head slowly and methodically removed. This cranial mass was found on the floor next to her body. The Heavenly Host Elementary students pictured here are the four who were found in that basement room."

They gasped as they read the newspaper, reading of such horrible things happening to such young children. They gasped even more when they saw the pictures.

"These ghosts have the same faces and uniforms as the children in these pictures!" Yoshiki gasped.

"The ghost that was chasing us earlier is one of them too." Ayumi shivered.

"I can't just ignore these poor souls." Mayu protested. "I'm going to stay with them."

"Aye, I don't think that's a really good idea, matey." Kwazii shook his head.

"Yes, you really need to get out of this room." Barnacles nodded.

Mayu shivered, unsure of what to do. Ayumi was getting frustrated as she raised her voice.

"Mayu, you need to stop this!" She cried. "Don't let your emotions get the better of you!"

Suddenly, light flashed through the room as the ghosts summoned an invisible force to lift Mayu off the ground. Her friends stared in horror as their friend floated above the ground, unconscious and unaware of what was happening to her.

"No! Stop!" Ayumi begged.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Yoshiki shouted.

Suddenly, light flashed again as the ghosts pushed Ayumi back, causing her to scream as she fell.

"Ayumi!" The boys shouted in fear.

"Damn it!" Yoshiki cursed. "What did they do?!"

"Let go of her!" Barnacles growled as he tried to run up to the floating girl, only to be knocked back by the ghosts.

"Captain!" The others cried as he was knocked against the wall.

"Err, ow." Barnacles whimpered as he stood back up, cradling his left arm. "Son of a... Mmm."

"Let's get out of here, before somebody else gets hurt." Peso suggested.

The others nodded and they went out back into the hall.

"Are you ok, captain?" Ayumi asked.

"I think so." Barnacles nodded. "Ow!"

"Let me take a look." Peso offered as he approached his captain.

Barnacles nodded and let the medic take a look at his arm.

"I don't think it's broken." Peso shook his head. "But it's definitely going to be bruised."

"Well, there's some good news." Barnacles nodded. "But what about Mayu? We can't even touch her, much less get her down."

"So what the hell do we do?" Yoshiki wondered.

"I don't know, but we have to do something!" Ayumi cried. "We have too!"

"Ayumi!" Peso gasped. "You're nose is bleeding!"

"What?!" Ayumi cried. "Don't tell me that. Gosh, you're so blunt about it too."

"Would you rather I just let it run?" Peso frowned, handing her a tissue from his medical bag. "Here, use this."

"Thanks." Ayumi smiled as she gratefully took the soft cloth like paper.

"Hello." Said a voice suddenly behind them.

They turned to see who was speaking to them, and were quite surprised to see a girl about their own age. She looked pretty normal, except, something was different.

Her eyes were a pale grey, like that of a dead fish.

"You've only just arrived at this school, have you not?" She asked.

"That's right." Yoshiki nodded. "Were you brought here against your will too? I can't say I recognize your uniform."

"I died here many years ago already." The stranger explained, making the others gasp. "I came here to search for someone very important to me, you see."

"Um, your name wouldn't have to be Naho, would it?" Ayumi asked.

"You know her?" Barnacles frowned.

"A high school paranormalist, Naho Saenoki." Ayumi explained. "She has a very popular homepage with lots of information on paranormal studies and occults. I'm a big fan of yours, Ms. Saenoki. I'm on your website all the time."

"Thank you." Naho smiled. "Although, I'm afraid you won't be seeing any new posts from me anymore."

"Your last post was about the Sachiko Ever After charm." Ayumi remembered. "I've been wondering what happened to you since then. Now I know."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, me hearties," Kwazii suddenly butte in. "But, did you say you came here in search of someone?"

"Yes." Naho nodded.

"So you came here on your own free will?" Kwazii gasped. "Surely that means there's a way out too."

"Let's not get our hopes too high up Kwazii." Barnacles warned. "The time pool may have led us to our deaths rather than another mission."

"Don't say that, captain." Peso begged. "It's certainly not like you."

"I'm sorry, this place is getting to me." Barnacles sighed.

"I'm afraid that's not something I can talk about right now, Kwazii." Naho shook her head. "Our main concern right now is your friend."

"That's right!" Ayumi gasped. "Do you have any idea of how we can save her?"

"Before I died, I searched high and low for any means of escape." Naho explained. "In the process, I learned that these closed spaces were given the form of Heavenly Host Elementary through the sorrows and agony of its victims. Victims of an incident that occurred thirty years ago before our time."

"The murdered children." The others gasped in realization.

"Unfortunately, this place took its toll on me, and I died before I could make my escape." Naho sighed. "But the key seems to lie with those children. If they can be put to rest, there might be a way out. Without all that sorrow and agony, these planes would surely break down. All this pointless suffering would end, and we would all be released from this hell. That's my theory anyway."

"Yeah, but put them to rest?" Yoshiki frowned. "How the hell do we do that?!"

"Give them closure, of course." Naho answered as if it was obvious. "What they lack is any remorse or regret from the one who killed them."

"The one who killed them?" Ayumi gasped. "Are you saying…?!"

"The murderer is here in this school, yes." Naho nodded.

"Great, just great!" Barnacles growled. "It was hard enough that we had ghosts in our way, now we have the murderer too?!"

"Relax, Captain." Peso soothed. "Let's hear what Naho has to say."

"But Peso, how are we supposed to get someone like that to express remorse?" Barnacles demanded. "Where would we even begin?!"

Everybody was silent when they suddenly heard crying coming from inside the infirmary. It was Mayu.

"You need to do whatever you can, and do it quickly." Naho assured. "If you don't, those two spirits are going to hurt your friend like they've hurt you."

"We will, we'll think of something." Ayumi agreed. "I guess the first order of business… is actually finding the killer."

"That's really dangerous, Ayumi." Kwazii gasped. "What if he tries to kill us?"

"We have no choice!" Ayumi cried as she ran off in a direction.

"Ayumi! Wait! Hold up a sec'!" The boys called after her as they ran.

Barnacles stopped and turned back to Naho.

"I don't know much about you as an author, or a paranormal researcher, but I'm going to take your word anyway." He said to her. "Hopefully, it's not a mistake and will actually help me and the other Octonauts with this mission."

Naho smiled and nodded at the polar bear. Barnacles smiled and nodded back before running to catch up with his friends.

Barnacles ran down the stairs and finally caught up with his friends. They were kneeling next to Ayumi, who had collapsed on the floor again.

"Hey, is everything alright down here?" He asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Ayumi nodded. "I thought I was going to throw up, but I didn't."

"Come on, let's go figure this thing out." Yoshiki insisted.

Ayumi nodded and stood up. With Ayumi on her feet again, they searched around the school, trying to find anything that would help them give the ghosts any closure. Of course, there was the usual problem of the ghost boy.

"Damn, he's still following us!" Yoshiki growled.

"Just ignore him." Ayumi advised.

The boys nodded and continued walking. Eventually, they lost the boy as they headed up the stairs again. When they reached the curve, something on the floor caught their eyes. It was a severed head of an old-fashioned festival doll.

"Do you think this little piece of treasure will be of any use?" Kwazii asked, picking up the head.

"I don't know, maybe." Ayumi shrugged. "It's hard to tell with this place anymore."

"Let's keep it anyway," Yoshiki took it and putted it in his coat pocket. "Just in case."

With that settled, our heros continued searching through the school. Suddenly, thoughts began to echo in their minds, seemingly coming from the doll in Yoshiki's pocket. Quickly, Yoshiki took it out and they all looked at it. It was true! Somehow or another, the doll found a way to communicate its sole desire.

"Return… my body."

The Octonauts and the humans looked at each other, neither knowing what to say about this.

Yoshiki placed the doll back in his pocket and they continued walking. They walked up to the third floor and went down the hall. They saw a red will-o-wisp, but next to it, was the body of the doll they picked up earlier.

"This must be it." Peso picked up the body. "Quick Yoshiki, it demands for its head."

Quickly, Yoshiki took out the doll's head and gave it to the penguin, who twisted it back onto the body. As the head and body of the antique doll are joined, it begins speaking more clearly and directly. With a high-pitched voice like that of a child, it slowly repeats several phrases in a cold, methodical, and almost robotic monotone.

"To have killed children so brutally. I was not in my right mind. I did not want them to die. I was scared too. I am so sorry. I am so sorry. So very sorry. I am actually a good person. I am so sorry. I am so sorry. So very sorry."

"Did this doll… belong to the murderer?" Yoshiki frowned.

"Doesn't it kind of piss you off?" Ayumi hissed. "Like, it's just playing around, and saying what we want to hear. We don't need this thing!"

"Wait!" Peso cried. "Don't you think it might count as repentance from the murderer?"

"We can only hope, Peso." Barnacles nodded.

"I'll never forgive him! No matter what he says!" Ayumi screamed.

"Well, lucky it's not about you." Kwazii hissed.

"Kwazii!" Barnacles gasped. "That was uncalled for."

"I'm sorry Captain, but I'm just getting tired of her shrieking." Kwazii snapped. "It's hard to tell if this is the real Ayumi or not."

"I understand, Kwazii," Barnacles sighed, placing a paw on his shoulder. "But you need to control your anger. Please, just until we get out of here."

"Oh, like you did?"

Barnacles blinked in surprise. He couldn't believe his best friend just said that to him. It was official. The gloom of the school was getting to them, and they needed to get out, fast!

Silence rang between the friends as they silently made their way back to the infirmary to try the doll on the spirits holding Mayu. They finally made it to the infirmary and ran in. They gasped when they saw that the spirits still had their friend.

"Mayu! Mayu!" They screamed.

"Open your eyes! Please!" Ayumi begged, but Mayu did not respond.

Suddenly, the doors slammed shut and the room shook.

"Haven't you ghosts done enough already?!" Yoshiki shouted in anger. "I don't know about everything that happened to you, and yeah, I get that it was really horrible, but you're cursing and killing innocent people who had nothing to do with any of it! What the hell is that supposed to accomplish?!"

The room shook more violently as ghostly screams could be heard around the room.

"Stop!" Ayumi cried. "If you make them mad, they'll shut us out!"

Ayumi turned back to the ghosts and brought out the doll.

"Come on, you two… I have something you need to hear, ok? Just listen!"

Ayumi held up the antique doll, and let the children listen to the penitent spirit sealed within. The ghosts stood still, listening to the heart pulling cries of the doll. Suddenly, they too, started crying.

"You can rest peacefully now, ok." Peso smiled warmly. "You don't have to keep suffering."

"The horrible things that happened to you are all in the past." Barnacles nodded. "Your loved ones… your parents are waiting for you. Go to them now!"

"Please?" Kwazii smiled. "I know you can do it, hearties."

"Let go of that girl." Yoshiki nodded. "Let go of Mayu."

The room was still and silent. They thought that the spirits were thinking of taking their advice, until they looked up, blood running from their eyes as they smiled evilly, and ran, taking Mayu with them.

"No! Stop!" Ayumi cried as they watched them take their friend.

Shivers ran down their spines, unable to move when they heard Mayu give out a shrill scream. Suddenly, they heard a loud splat, like something being thrown against a wall at superhuman speed.

Ayumi cried and threw the antique doll to the ground in a fit of panic and frustration. She cried as they all ran out into the hall in panic, wanting to see what happened to their friend, and praying to god that she was alright.

When they reached the end of the hall, they stopped in their tracks, gasping and screaming at what they saw.

It was Mayu's body, squished and splattered all over the wall. There was nothing left of her. Her death was the same bloody, meaty mess found by Seiko, Naomi, Tweak, and Dashi just hours before.

"Ayumi! Don't look!" Yoshiki tried to get the girl to turn away. "Come on, let's get away from here!"

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" She screamed as she started running away.

"Ayumi!" The boys cried after her.

"Gosh, I'm… I'm really starting to lose it." Yoshiki shivered.

"Don't say that, Yoshiki." Barnacles begged. "Kwazii and I may be starting to lose it, but you can't. You have to stay strong. For Ayumi. You have to."

Yoshiki nodded and sighed.

"You guys go ahead and go after her. I'm just gonna be a minute." He suggested.

"Are you sure?" Barnacles asked.

"Yeah, you go ahead." Yoshiki nodded.

The Octonauts nodded and ran off, leaving their friend behind. But, if they would've known what was about to happen to him, they never would've left him.

Meanwhile, back in room 3-A, Ms. Yui woke up from being unconscious. The weight of the shelf had subsided and she was able to crawl out. As she stood up, she realized just how much her back was messed up.

"OUCH!" She squeaked in pain.

"So, you're really, truly concerned about the safety of your students, are you?" The red wisp that tortured her asked softly.

"Of course I am!" Ms. Yui exclaimed.

"But, you're just their instructor, no? You have no familial bond with any of them." The wisp protested. "You're not their mother."

"But they're my children!" Ms. Yui nodded. "I think I speak for every single one of us at Kisaragi Academy when I say that we love our children. We care about them just as their parents do."

The wisp gasped silently as it watched Ms. Yui completely stand up, clutching her broken arm.

"Never underestimate a teacher." She added hoarsely.

The wisp trembled before it started crying. Ms. Yui stayed with it, staying silent as she left the little ball of red fire release its invisible tears. When it finally stopped crying, Ms. Yui nodded.

"Now, answer me this." She demanded. "Your little rant earlier suggested that more of my students are here than the five I came with and the three I heard. Is it true? Were the others brought here as well?"

"... It is." It finally said quietly. "Numerous corporeal entities joined us in theses closed spaces, all at the same time. Counting you, I sensed the arrival of seventeen people, eight of them which are not human."

Ms. Yui nodded, silently thanking it for its help. Silently, she passed the wisp, heading back to the classroom where she thought her students were waiting for her.


	9. Brave Souls

Chapter 8: Brave Souls

A phone started ringing. Very abnormally loudly. It took her awhile to realize, it was HER phone, laying in her pocket. She quickly ripped it out and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Help me…" Said a voice on the other side, making her shiver. "Help me…"

Suddenly, a second voice started talking. She gasped, recognizing the voice.

"Naomi, are you there?" Her mother cried. "Answer me please!"

"Mom? Mom!" Naomi cried into the phone, making Dashi and Tweak gasp with hope. "Mom! Mom! It's me! My friends and I, we're in real trouble!"

"Naomi! Please! Just let me hear your voice!" Her mother sobbed, revealing that she couldn't hear a word Naomi was saying.

Naomi gasped, looking to the Octonauts.

"She can't hear me…" She gasped.

"Keep trying!" Dashi and Tweak said at the same time.

"Please, just say something! I'm your mom, Naomi! God please! Don't let anything have happened to her!"

"Help me…" Said the other voice. "Help me… Help me…"

Naomi stared at the phone while she and the Octonauts sat on the stairwell. She screamed, throwing her phone to the floor. Dashi and Tweak stared in shock at her, completely flabbergasted by her reactions. But, they remained silent. The three of them stared at the floor, remembering what had happened after they found Seiko's body.

…

Dashi, Tweak, and Naomi stood in the girls restroom, staring horrified at the hanging body that swung slowly in front of them. Naomi started tearing up once more.

"Seiko…" She cried. "I don't understand… You said we'd make it out of here… together. Why would you kill yourself?! What happened?! What… did you see?"

"It really is a pity." Said a sudden voice by the entrance.

The girls gasped as they looked towards the voice, expecting to see another wisp, but becoming confused when they saw a girl, and not just any girl… Naho.

"Who are you?" Naomi asked as she and the Octonauts stood up.

"I'm the spirit of a girl who died here." Naho explained rather bluntly.

"Do you know what happened to her?" Dashi asked.

"I believe your friend… was afflicted."

"Afflicted?" Tweak frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It basically means affected." Naomi explained. "But… with what?"

"The curse that holds this school together." Naho answered. "Those who are touched by it slowly lose their minds to it. Some people realize this is happening, and go to great lengths to prevent it… even taking their own lives."

"Gosh, desperate much?" Tweak frowned, crossing her arms.

"Of course, others just go insane." Naho smiled devilishly. "Sometimes they start hurting the people around them. The exact response to this curse varies quite a bit from one person to the next."

"That's horrible." Naomi whispered sadly.

"Now that your friend has passed away… this school… this space… is yours alone. You are its only living occupant."

"But, we're not alone!" Dashi assured. "There's three of us! We'll stick together! Always! This school isn't gonna break us apart!"

"Perhaps for now." Naho agreed. "But, one by one, you will each die, until there is one left, and then, you will be all by yourself from here on out… until the day you die…"

"NEVER!" The girls barked back.

"We're the Octonauts!" Tweak stood proud. "We know what our mission is now, and we're not gonna stop until that mission is fulfilled!"

"... I wish you the best of luck." Naho nodded before walking away.

…

"Guys…" Naomi gasped when their flashback was over. "I just realized something."

"What is it?" Dashi asked.

"My phone… it has Seiko's number in it… and everybody else's too!"

Dashi and Tweak were wondering what Naomi was up to, what she was thinking. Before either one of them could react, Naomi got up and tried to go down the stairs to retrieve her phone. It ended up in disaster when her ankle messed up and she fell down the stairs.

"NAOMI!" The Octonauts gasped, running up to her.

"Naomi, are you alright?" Dashi hoped.

"Oh, God…" Naomi whimpered. "It hurts!"

"Ok, no more stalling!" Tweak demanded. "We need to find Peso, NOW! Her ankle is getting worse, we can't put it off any longer Dashi."

"You're right." Dashi nodded. "No more stalling. From now on, we don't do anything until we find Peso and get that leg fixed up."

"Ow, girls." Naomi gasped. "I think it's broken."

Suddenly, Naomi started to retch, bile spilling all over the floor. Dashi and Tweak stood around her, comforting her as she retched.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened. They heard the voice of Seiko speaking to them.

'Pull yourself together!' She demanded. 'You're a tough cookie, Naomi. This isn't like you!'

The lights flickered a bit, and then, they turned off completely. Naomi sniffed and shook her head.

"I'm… I'm not 'tough' at all!" She sobbed. "Seiko… I can't take any more of this!"

"Naomi, you need to relax." Dashi informed. "Getting worked up is not going to help us get out of here."

"Dashi is right, Naomi." Tweak agreed. "If we're going to make it out of this, we need to stay calm and collected. And, we need to stay together. Can you do that, Naomi?"

But it was hopeless. Naomi was not listening to a single word the girls were saying to her, and she laid on the floor, sobbing to herself as she cried out for her mother and, almost unexpectedly, Satoshi.

…

Meanwhile, in another closed space, Satoshi, Yuka, Shellington, and Tunip stood in a classroom together, speaking to a blue willow-wisp.

"You're doing great, Yuka." Satoshi smiled to his little sister. "I'm really impressed how long you've gone without crying."

"Uh-huh…" Yuka hiccuped, trying to be brave for her big brother. "I'm… not crying… I'm not…"

"I sense that other corporeal beings such as yourselves were brought here as well." The willow-wisp suddenly decided to speak. "Seventeen in total, eight of them which are not human. Seventeen poor souls pulled in at once."

"That would be me and Yuka… Naomi… Yoshiki… Ayumi… Ms. Yui… Seiko… Mayu… Morishige…" Satoshi started.

"Me and Tunip... Captain Barnacles… Kwazii… Peso… Dashi… Inkling… and Tweak." Shellington added. "In other words, everybody in the room at the time."

"Dammit!" Satoshi swore.

"So everybody else… is in this school… too?" Yuka shyly asked.

"Not exactly." The willow-wisp disagreed. "As I mentioned, this is a nexus of closed spaces. Your friends are scattered among them. So in essence, they are indeed all in this school… but it's not quite the same place for everyone. Meeting anyone else here may prove… difficult."

"But how difficult?" Shellington wondered.

"If you should attempt to defy the will of this school to find them, you may ultimately invoke its wrath." The wisp answered. "And that's a fate… best avoided."

"We appreciate the warning, but we have to try." Satoshi sighed. "We'll do whatever it takes to find everyone and get out of here. Right Shellington?"

"Correct, Satoshi." Shellington nodded firmly.

"Big brother…" Yuka smiled admiringly, Tunip doing the same for Shellington.

"They're all such good people…" Satoshi continued. "They've done nothing to deserve this! And I absolutely will not give up on them just because there's some nebulous curse that might strike back at me!"

"Same here!" Shellington agreed.

"It's a rarity to find such righteous determination these days." The wisp approved. "Be sure you don't lose it along the way. Your desire not to let a single person die… try to retain that noble spirit, no matter what horrors may await. And even if you can't save everyone… you may still be able to alter your fate for the better, even if only by the tiniest of margins. Just don't end up… like us…"

With that, the willow-wisp disappeared. Yuka nodded and turned to her big brother.

"Big brother…"

"Hmm?" Satoshi looked back at her. "What is it?"

"What did he mean by… the school's wrath?"

"I'm not sure…" Satoshi frowned. "Shellington, any ideas?"

"Not a clue." Shellington shook his head. "Maybe, he's saying the school has a mind of its own or something."

"At any rate, we should try to find Ms. Yui and the others as soon as possible." Satoshi ordered before looking at his sister. "And we need to get you home, too. If we come across a way out of here, I want you to take it."

"Same goes for you too Tunip." Shellington nodded. "You and Yuka both are too young for something like this. You two shouldn't have to go through something like this."

"There must be an entranceway, or an emergency exit, or roof access, or… something that leads outside." Satoshi added. "And if so, you're to go straight home, no 'buts'!"

"I want you to follow Yuka home as well, Tunip." Shellington said to the vegimal. "You two need to get to a safe place. Is that alright, Satoshi?"

"It's more than alright, Shellington." Satoshi nodded. "I'd prefer it actually. You got that, you two?"

"Ok." Yuka sighed.

Tunip nodded as well, giving a salute to Shellington.

"Good," Shellington nodded. "Now, let's get out of here."

With that, the four of them left the classroom together, heading out into the halls to look for their missing friends… and a way out. They walked into one of the classrooms, 2-A. It was dark, but the further they went in, they could make out a fresh dead body.

"UUGH!" The four of them screamed upon seeing it.

"Owwie!" Yuka cried out. "You hurt my hand, big brother!"

Yuka and Tunip looked back at the body, screaming once more before hugging onto each other.

"Yuka! Tunip! Don't look!" Satoshi ordered.

The two younger ones whimpered as they covered each other's eyes, avoiding any visual contact to the mass in front of them. Shellington and Satoshi nodded before looking back at the body.

"It's not a prop or anything." Satoshi shook his head. "It's a real dead body."

"This… is really happening, isn't it?" Shellington took a shaky breath.

"B-Big brother?" Yuka suddenly spoke.

"A dead body… an actual dead body." Satoshi shook. "Am I going to end up like this, too? Are all of us going to die here?"

"I won't let that happen Satoshi." Shellington frowned. "And neither will the other Octonauts. If our mission is to get you all out of here alive, then that's what we're going to do. No 'ifs' 'ands' or 'buts'!"

"Big brother!" Yuka cried again, this time getting their attention.

"Ah! Yuka…" Satoshi sighed. "It… It's ok."

"Same here Tunip." Shellington nodded to the vegimal.

"Come on, guys. We're leaving this room." Satoshi ordered.

The others nodded and followed the boy out of the room. Once they were outside, they continued their quest, trying to ignore all the bodies they now realized surrounded them.

Suddenly, Yuka stopped.

"Yuka?" Satoshi asked her, feeling worried.

"Big brother…" She started. "Will we ever be able to go home again? Or are we really stuck here… until we… d-die?"

Shellington and Satoshi said nothing, unsure what the real answer was. Yuka started getting restless and cried out.

"It's not true, right?" She begged. "Big brother? Right?!"

"We'll be ok." Satoshi finally smiled. "We'll make it out of here, Yuka. Just like Shellington said. If the mission is to get us all out, then that's what's going to happen."

"All of us. Together." Shellington agreed. "There's no need for you to worry. After all… you've got us, right?"

Yuka hiccuped before smiling, nodding her answer.

"That's a good girl." Satoshi smiled.

Yuka sniffed before hugging onto her brother tightly, coughing a bit.

"Nerves got the better of you, huh?" Satoshi chuckled. "Poor thing…"

With that little ordeal out of the way, the four of them continued walking. They came across a pathway with a small gap in it. As they looked around for a board to make a makeshift bridge with, they suddenly came face to face with a ghost. And not just any ghost.

The girl in the red dress.

"A child… spirit?" Satoshi gasped.

"That red dress… looked pretty old-fashioned." Shellington shuddered as the girl walked away.

"Big brother…" Yuka whimpered, Tunip whimpering a bit as well.

"It's ok guys. She's gone now." Satoshi assured. "We'll be fine."

With that, the four continued searching around for a board. They walked into classroom 1-A, and saw a board lying on the other side. They left the classroom and headed over to the other side, but when they entered, the board had jumped over to the other side.

"Is it just me or is that board moving?" Satoshi frowned.

"Yeah." Shellington agreed. "It was over on this side a minute ago."

"Maybe we can… ambush it?" Satoshi suggested. "Let's try to find the exact spot where it was sitting before."

With that, the four of them took a mental picture of where the board sat now and went to the other side. Yuka and Tunip waited on that side, while Satoshi and Shellington went to the other side, ready for the younger ones to catch the teleporting board.

"Yuka! Tunip!" Satoshi called when they witnessed the board up on the other side of the room when they entered. "Can you grab that board?"

The two younger ones dove for the board, catching it before it could make another jump.

"We got it!" Yuka cried triumphantly.

"CHIBA CHIBA!" Tunip cried excitedly as the four of them left the classroom, meeting up in the hall.

"Nicely done!" Shellington approved. "I'd say we're one step closer to getting out of here now."

"You all set?" Satoshi asked the two. "Come on, let's go."

"Ok." Yuka and Tunip nodded.

With that, they set the loose board they had caught over the gap and made a makeshift bridge. Carefully, the walked over it onto the other side before continuing their journey.

"Hold on!" Yuka suddenly cried. "Wait a moment!"

"What is it Yuka?" Satoshi asked.

"I… want to give you this." She whispered shyly before handing him a little jar full of beads.

"What is this?" Satoshi wondered. "A cute little jar?"

"Well, you see… it's my secret charm." Yuka smiled. "It's full of scented beads."

"There sure are a lot of them in there!" Satoshi smiled as he looked at the jar.

"Give it a sniff." Yuka giggled.

So, Satoshi took the lid off and took a whiff, immediately getting the scent of caramel.

"Hey, caramel!" Satoshi laughed. "That smells really good!"

"Isn't it neat?" Yuka laughed. "See, caramel flavor is special. It protects you from accidents, and shields you from danger. That's why I want you to have it! If you don't mind sharing with Shellington of course."

"That's alright, he can keep it." Shellington smiled. "After all, he's your big brother."

"This place frightening you?" Satoshi smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be alright. You should hang onto it yourself."

"But I really don't mind. You take it!" Yuka insisted. "I just… I don't want anything to happen to my big brother. You're a scatterbrain. You always get freaked out so easily… and it really scares me."

"... Alright." Satoshi finally agreed. "I guess I can borrow it for a little. Thanks."

"Take good care of it, ok?" Yuka giggled happily. "Caramel flavor will keep you safe, but that's not all. Wanna know what else it does? It's a secret!"

"Huh?" Satoshi frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"If I tell you, you'll get all bothered." Yuka giggled. "So I'm not gonna!"

"Something that would bother me?" Satoshi smirked. "More than calling me a scatterbrain?"

Yuka smirked and laughed before they continued walking, heading down the stairs. Suddenly, the school started shaking. Loose boards and lights fell, hitting the floor as another earthquake shook the area.

"Damn, another earthquake!" Satoshi growled. "Hold on everybody!"

Suddenly, the tremor stopped, and the four continued walking downstairs. When they went downstairs, they were surprised to see another ghost there. But this time, it was the boy.

"Why ihh you kihh me?" He whimpered.

Our heroes gulped before carefully walking past him, not wanting to get involved with this troubled spirit.

"Youhh pay…" He hissed darkly, sending shivers down their spines.

Afraid of what the ghost boy meant, the four of them ran the rest of the way, heading down another flight of stairs. When they reached the second floor, the lights suddenly went out. But, as they continued walking, the lights suddenly came back on, as if nothing happened at all.

"How peculiar." Shellington frowned before they continued walking.

As they walked, they came up to another flight of stairs, this one leading up. On the ground, they found a key, but it was unknown to where it went.

"I wonder where this key goes to." Shellington frowned as he picked it up.

"You and me both Shellington." Satoshi nodded.

With their new treasure in hand, they continued up the stairs. When they got upstairs, they were standing right next to the restrooms.

"Big brother?" Yuka whimpered shyly.

"Hmm? What's up?" Satoshi asked.

"... I have to go potty." She whimpered.

"Well, the sign says these are the lavatories, so go ahead. We'll wait for you here." Satoshi smiled.

"Ok." Yuka sighed before walking away to the girls bathroom.

"Yuka…" Satoshi suddenly stopped her. "Sorry to ask, but which one is it?"

"Pee-pee." Yuka blushed.

"Gotcha." Satoshi nodded. "If anything happens, just yell real loud, ok?"

"Ok." Yuka nodded before walking away.

"Why did you need to know which one she was doing?" Shellginton frowned.

"I hate asking such a personal question, Shellington." Satoshi sighed. "But this place is full of surprises. I need to know how long to wait before getting worried."

"Oh, well, I guess that makes sense." Shellington agreed.

Suddenly, Yuka came running back out.

"Hey. Done already?" Satoshi frowned.

"I couldn't go." Yuka whined.

"Huh?" Both Satoshi and Shellington questioned audibly before heading into the girls bathroom to see what she meant.

When they entered the bathroom, they couldn't believe their eyes. The floor had completely collapsed, with no way to the stalls at all.

"Seriously?" Satoshi hissed before they walked back out.

"You weren't kidding. You really couldn't go!" Satoshi sighed. "Let's try to find another bathroom, ok?"

"Can you hold it?" Shellington asked kindly.

Yuka sniffed and nodded weakly. Satoshi sighed before looking at the boys bathroom.

"Be nice if the boys room were an option, at least." He sighed.

With that, the four continued walking. The only way they could go now was back downstairs, to the ghost boy. So, off they went. When they got downstairs, they couldn't help but look at the boy that was still sitting where they had left them. Among eye contact, the boy stood up and hissed.

"Youhh pay!" He hissed, locking eyes with our heroes.

"He's staring right into my eyes…" Satoshi shivered. "Wh-What?! I-I can't move!"

"Neither can I!" Shellington gasped.

"Come… wihh… me…" The boy ordered.

Upon the command, both Satoshi and Shellington walked a step forward, getting closer to the edge of the hole the ghost stood on the other side.

"Big brother! Shellington!" Yuka gasped, Tunip starting to freak out as well.

"My body… my legs… They're moving on their own!" Satoshi gasped.

"Mine as well!" Shellington informed.

Unable to stop themselves, the two walked another step, barely hanging over the edge.

"Big brother! Shellington! Stop!" Yuka cried.

Suddenly, Satoshi fell over, and the jar of caramel beads fell out of his pocket. The ghost, out of curiosity, walked over to the jar, picked it up, and sniffed it.

"Big brother! Shellington! Come on!" Yuka cried.

"Wait, I can move again!" Satoshi gasped.

"I too! Let's get out of here!" Shellington agreed.

With that, they both ran away from the hole, going back over to Yuka and Tunip. When they were safely away from the hole, the ghost disappeared, taking the jar with him.

"Are you two alright?" Yuka hoped.

"Yeah. Sorry though, Yuka." Satoshi sighed. "Looks like your charm's been taken."

"I don't care about that!" Yuka cried, hugging onto the two. "Just don't die you two! Don't die!"

Tunip chirped in agreement before hugging onto the group as well.

"We won't. We're sorry." Shellington apologized before pulling out a handkerchief. "Come on. Let's blow that nose."

"Thank you for taking care of my sister." Satoshi smiled to the otter as Yuka blew her nose.

"Of course." Shellington nodded. "She's just a little girl after all. She shouldn't have to go through something like this."

Once Yuka was done wiping her nose, the four of them continued through the school, unsure of what awaited for them ahead.


End file.
